The fight against fake news online has seen millions of Facebook posts removed by the social-media giant. According to a blog published by Facebook on Tuesday, the company removed 7 million posts in the second quarter for sharing false information about COVID-19.
Facebook says some of the removed posts included content that promoted fake preventative measures and so-called 'cures' for the coronavirus.
Data on the removed posts was released by the company as part of its sixth Community Standards Enforcement Report, which was formed in response to a backlash over Facebook's perceived lack of action over policing content posted to its platforms.
Facebook says it removed about 22.5 million posts containing hate speech in the second quarter, a marked increase from 9.6 million in the first quarter of 2020. Another 8.7 million posts connected to extremist organizations were also deleted.
The social media giant says it relied on automation tools during the months of April, May and June, thanks to health restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. While the number of posts removed went up in the second quarter, fewer posts related to suicide and self-injury, child nudity and sexual exploitation were removed.
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